UCLA Anderson’s Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans

This weekend UCLA’s Anderson School of Management wrapped up its Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV), a terrific program that offers training in entrepreneurship and small business management to U.S. military veterans who were disabled as a result of their service supporting operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

The EBV was first introduced by Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management in 2007. In 2008, the EBV Consortium of Schools was launched, a national partnership with UCLA Anderson School of Management, Florida State University’s College of Business, and Mays Business School at Texas A&M.

The program was created to provide focused, practical training in the tools and skills of new venture creation and growth, reflecting issues unique to disability and public benefits programs. Veterans who complete the course also benefit from a support structure that they can call upon as they enter the business world, giving them years of ongoing value.According to UCLA Anderson’s EBV web site:

“The EBV program represents a unique opportunity for men and women who have sacrificed for America’s freedom to take an important step toward realizing their own freedom – economic freedom – through entrepreneurship. EBV is a selective, rigorous, and intense educational initiative that has been created to make a difference. Accordingly, the application process itself is rigorous and selective.

“Successful candidates for admission will demonstrate a strong interest in entrepreneurship, high motivation for owning and managing a business, and a high likelihood of successful completion of this intense training program.”

Most impressively, EBV is entirely free for military veterans. All costs — including travel, lodging, and meals — are covered for delegates accepted to the EBV thanks to the participating universities as well as generous donations from corporations and individuals.

Every year we work with many military veterans who are returning from duty and getting ready to apply to business school, but not all veterans necessarily want to pursue an MBA. EBV occupies a valuable space, serving those who have been injured in service to their country and now want to go to work for themselves in the private sector, but who don’t want to (or can’t afford to) make the full investment in a two-year graduate business program.